Edward Snowden is an American hero

Edward Snowden, former NSA consultant and world-renowned whistle-blower, has been chosen by Time Magazine as runner-up to Pope Francis as Man of the Year for alerting the American public to the secret and apparently unconstitutional domestic spying activities of the federal government, and for creating a forum for determining the propriety and constitutionality of a governmental domestic surveillance program.

With bombshell after bombshell of dramatic and shocking domestic spying disclosures being lobbed by Snowden onto the shaken presidency of President Barack Obama fostering congressional investigations and talk of impeachment, the impact of one, ordinary man on American history and on the critical direction of the country's future - as we must now weigh security against the important constitutional limitations on government power - as well as on the future of an Obama Administration hard-pressed to contain the Spygate scandal, is tremendous.

Despite being harshly vilified by the Obama Administration as well as by members of Congress as a criminal and even a traitor for his unprecedented and illegal act of stealing thousands of classified documents, he now appears to be vindicated for his actions as Federal Court Judge Richard Leon has ruled that the massive monitoring of phone calls by the Obama Administration without due process is likely a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, regarding the right to privacy.

Judge Leon even went on to say that the founding fathers would be appalled by the government's domestic spying actions.

In addition, the FISA Court has issued a citation to NSA for unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens.

Edward Snowden is Joe Citizen, not just battling City Hall but singlehandedly taking on the mammoth, all-powerful and merciless federal government, on our behalf, risking his livelihood and his very life to alert the public to the apparent unconstitutional activities ongoing in the Obama Administration.

To continue to persecute a man who should be commended for risking his livelihood and his life to alert the nation to serious violations of the constitution by the federal government, even though he broke the law to do so, would be like prosecuting a man for jay-walking in rushing across a street to help a person being assaulted.

We should support whistle-blowers like Edward Snowden. He has exposed one of the most dangerous acts ever by our government, domestic spying.

In addition, the nobility of Snowden's actions is becoming more and more apparent, as accusations of his giving vital secrets to our enemies are proving unfounded. The information he took appears to pertain to domestic spying only. If he had dishonorable intentions, why would he publically announce that he had taken classified documents, knowing that he would immediately become the world's most wanted man?

Government should never be allowed to operate in secrecy, no matter what the reason and how hard it tries. It should operate in a goldfish bowl. That is why we have sunshine laws and why we emphasize transparency and accountability. Unfortunately, government prefers to operate in secrecy, and will make every excuse to do so.

Democracy depends on an informed public able to detect wrongdoing, make informed decisions and monitor government conduct. We should not tolerate unwarranted government secrecy or retaliation against whistle-blowers, or classifying documents for political purposes.

President George W. Bush initiated the debate after 9/11, when he warned that the threat of terrorism was not nearly as important as the danger of what such a threat would do to us as a people.

Before the Snowden revelations, the government had secretly made the decision that the Constitution should take a back seat to national security.

Now, thanks to Edward Snowden, we, not the government in secret, will have the daunting task of deciding the critical issue of domestic spying for national security vs. constitutional restraints on government, as it should be in a democracy.

Jim Murray

CHESTER

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Edward Snowden is an American hero

Edward Snowden, former NSA consultant and world-renowned whistle-blower, has been chosen by Time Magazine as runner-up to Pope Francis as Man of the Year for alerting the American public to the

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